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I would say that it is hard to say which is better--straight to TV or convert box. If the TV is a good one then just use it. The CM7000 was good at getting adjacent channels, but most markets did not have adjacent channels and it is really old (one of the first on the converter market and no HDMI output just RCA composite plugs but good EPG as I recall). I only use converter boxes for EPG and record of shows as my TV has poor EPG and no record function.

guys I have a 15 year old OTA antenna on a motor, I don't like the cable on it, almost looks like rg59, I have four tv's in the house. my cable run would run down the OTA antenna pole, i would then need a 2way splitter, having one run go completely different direction to bedroom via outside and thru window. the second run goes opposite way, were it will feed three tv's. so once the run reaches the basement I will use a 3way splitter to feed the other tv's. would I need any sort of amplifier for such long runs and all the splitters? the one run might be 60ft, the second close to 100ft. I am making these changes because I find I don't get all the channels all the time. for example city tv not always, channel 2, 4, and 7 in out. I am wondering if this is weather of power issue? funny enough one tv seems to pick up channels better than others, you can be in one room it has channel 49, and the other room the different make in tv doesn't pick up the channel, even thought there all off the same antenna. The antenna is in great shape, it sits about 30 to 40 feet high, I am between Toronto and mississauga by the lake, so I feel I should get most channels quit easily.

I can relate the experience of having an old OTA antenna.I spent enough time climbing the tower and running the new cable,until I discovered the

Code:

https://comparily.com/best-outdoor-tv-antennas-for-rural-areas/

antennas. The project is coming along, slowly but surely.You said that your antenna is in great shape,hope so is also your tvs.Considering your location,with the prescribed antenna all the issues highlighted above will be a thing of the past.Thank me later.

One thing Kids, there is no such thing as a 150 mile TV antenna, not for line of sight application that is, you would have to be on top of a 5000 foot mountain and the TV transmitter up as far also to get it to work.

The best you can do is maybe a 100 foot tower at your end with the TV transmitters on a 3000 to 5000 foot mountain top or at best a 2100 foot TV tower,(tallest one around) then the best you can do for Line Of Sight signals is around 114 miles, (5000 foot for the transmitter, 100 feet for the antenna, see link below to calculate this) and that's with a good HIGH QUALITY deep fringe TV antenna with a pre-amp.

Code:

http://www.vwlowen.co.uk/java/horizon.htm

See TV signals don't bend, they can be reflected by the ground or other large objects, but signals to the TV work a lot better when you have direct line of sight, if you go to TVfool.com and do a report on your location you will see what is around you, you will see stations listed as LOS, 1edge, 2edge and Tropo. (troposphere scatter) LOS (Line Of Sight) is the best, 1edge means that the signal is skipping over terrain like one big mountain in the way, 2edge means that there are more things in the way and Tropo means that the signal is bouncing off the upper atmospheres troposphere layer.

Link to TVfool.com

Code:

http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

The last 3 are not that stable and can come and go when things change, temperature air density and ground clutter affect all of these signals.

So the higher you can mount a TV antenna the better it's going to work, (in most cases) if your in a city or other location where the TV transmitters are close by (too close like under 10 to 15 miles can also be a problem) then a simple set top or small antenna in the attic will work, (an antenna in the attic or inside a building will receive about 1/2 of the available signal strength that one outside will) if your further out then it should be outside, there are sites that have guide lines for what size antenna will work for how far you are away from the TV transmitters.

And there are many many different types of TV antennas, but none of them can see around the curvature of the Earth for a direct line of sight signal out to 150 miles, and no Kids the Earth is not flat.

On most TV antennas (on the box it came in) there is a color code, this code tell you how well it would work under standard conditions for your location. (see the link below)

This caught my interest. I'm an amateur radio nut.
What is supposed to be 'impossible' with coax is its proximity to metal.
My coax for a new SDR radio was zippy tied to the mast. Used for VHF. Good quality coax but not like 9913.
Signal strength sucked. I checked my connectors and for kinks, damage. I took the wire down and strung up new.
Coax was hanging and checked signal signal in the house. Pretty decent. I finalized the job. Zip tied the coax to the mast again.
Signal sucked! Dammit. I clipped the zip ties. Up and down the tower. Signal went way up.
Now the coax is fastened to the mast with zip ties sort of dog-bone fashioned using extra ties about an inch from the tubing.

The Channel Master CM-7777 has been real good for me. It is working distance from the antenna, not right by it. I'm 90 miles away from Buffalo. I don't watch much OTA tv but FM comes in real good. I live by the "If its not there, you cant boost it" thing.
In the winter when we were kids here sometimes we'd get broadcasts from Wisconsin and Detroit. Sometimes even real clear.

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Arlo For This Useful Post:

This caught my interest. I'm an amateur radio nut.
What is supposed to be 'impossible' with coax is its proximity to metal.
My coax for a new SDR radio was zippy tied to the mast. Used for VHF. Good quality coax but not like 9913.
Signal strength sucked. I checked my connectors and for kinks, damage. I took the wire down and strung up new.
Coax was hanging and checked signal signal in the house. Pretty decent. I finalized the job. Zip tied the coax to the mast again.
Signal sucked! Dammit. I clipped the zip ties. Up and down the tower. Signal went way up.
Now the coax is fastened to the mast with zip ties sort of dog-bone fashioned using extra ties about an inch from the tubing.

The Channel Master CM-7777 has been real good for me. It is working distance from the antenna, not right by it. I'm 90 miles away from Buffalo. I don't watch much OTA tv but FM comes in real good. I live by the "If its not there, you cant boost it" thing.
In the winter when we were kids here sometimes we'd get broadcasts from Wisconsin and Detroit. Sometimes even real clear.

Back in the day they used something similar to eye bolts with a insulated black plastic insert.They bolted to the tower to keep the wire a few inches away.You may be able to still find some if you went looking.This would help you i believe.

The Following User Says Thank You to The Noof For This Useful Post:

Zip tying the coax to the mast should not make a difference, I have done tons of antenna installs (more then I can remember in 55 years of installing antennas) and have never seen a drop in signal due to the coax being strapped to the mast.

If you see a drop in signal when the coax is strapped to the mast then something is wrong in the installation of the coax.

One thing...Is the coax grounded??? And what type is it??

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